Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, like a kid at a carnival, I rise in full support of H.R. 527, the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act of 2013.

Mr. Chairman, I'm relieved, and I'm sure that the American people are relieved as well, that Congress is finally going to do something about one of the most pressing issues of the day, that is, we've got to ensure access to helium for all.

Surely, those harmed by sequestration and those harmed by the Republican failure to appoint budget conferees appreciate the House spending 2 full legislative days on this most critical issue. The American people certainly understand the fact that 48 hours of this House's precious time was necessary to pass such a noncontroversial bill.

I'm pleased to support this bill, which shows that this Tea Party Congress will make the tough choice to keep children's birthday parties on schedule and give industries that rely on helium the lift that they deserve. Imagine, Mr. Chairman, a world without balloons. How can we make sure that there is not the injustice of there being no helium for comedians to get that high-pitched voice that we all hold near and dear to our hearts? Imagine a world without balloons. To date, the House has chosen to just simply float above it all.

Finally, we are going to do something for the American people, and we should all pat ourselves on the back for that. Too often lately, this body has sat deflated, not for a lack of hot air, mind you, but seriously, ladies and gentlemen, unlike a noble element, this House has failed to act on Americans' real concerns.

There are serious reasons to support this bill, and I do look forward to supporting it. The substance of this bill is not the focus of my sarcasm today, Mr. Chairman. My point is that America would be much better off if this Tea Party Republican Congress brought to the floor issues that mean the most to Americans, like appointing a conference committee to work out a budget with the Senate.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Sadly, Republicans are just blowing in the wind and can't seem to tether themselves down to take on such an important task. They float off in different directions unable to appoint conferees to negotiate with the Senate.

Yesterday, despite the gravity of the matter, the Tea Party Republicans couldn't even agree on their own health care bill, which was named the Helping Sick Americans Now Act. With a title like that, I'm helium flabbergasted that they could not pass that bill.

Yesterday we spent all day debating that bill, and today after their failure to pass it, they've pretty much decided that sick Americans can wait. We need laughing gas because of the inability of the Republican House to deal with the difficult issues. It's real sad; we need some laughing gas. The sequestration is delaying flights and harming our economy.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. With sequestration delaying flights and harming our economy, our Nation needs a little gas. Say what you will, but this is just the best thing that we can do here. So I'd like to float a simple idea: stop wasting our time. Let's get to the business that is meaningful for Americans. I support this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source